Today, November 3, 2020, is Election Day. If you do not vote you are not permitted to complain about the results for the next four years. If I am not mistaken this is a federal law. Hopefully one day our government will treat this day with the respect it deserves and make it a federal … Continue reading V O T E
On This Day
On this Date 1956: Pan Am Flight #6
My brain is full of useless information. Sometimes I find more utterly trivial stories to add to the pile. On October 16, 1956 there was an astounding water landing in the Pacific Ocean that made headlines because it was the first forced water ditching where all crew and passengers survived. It was Pan Am Flight … Continue reading On this Date 1956: Pan Am Flight #6
On This Date: Fort Tryon Park Dedication Ceremony!
On October 14, 1935, a dedication ceremony was held for the brand new Fort Tryon Park in Manhattan. It turns 85 years young today and looks amazing for its age! Nestled on a ridge between Inwood and Hudson Heights it has stunning views of the Hudson River and the George Washington Bridge. It is home … Continue reading On This Date: Fort Tryon Park Dedication Ceremony!
On This Date: The First Saturday Night Live Broadcast
In 1975, 45 years ago, NBC broadcast the first episode of what has become a comedy and music standard - Saturday Night Live. It has been good and it has been bad, it has never stopped experimenting. It has introduced legions of new comedians and showcased classic music groups. It has had iconic moments and … Continue reading On This Date: The First Saturday Night Live Broadcast
John Lennon would have been 80 years old today
If he had not been taken from from us senselessly and far too early, John Lennon would today celebrate his 80th birthday. I would love to have heard his take on the last forty years and especially the last four years. When I was growing up we often classified ourselves as either Rolling Stones or … Continue reading John Lennon would have been 80 years old today
On This Day: Performer Birthday Bonanza
Sometimes the stars align for surprising coincidences. If you are an aspiring actor and you birthday is today, you are in good company. Take a quick look at the number of birthdays today: 1944 - Michael Douglas1951 - Mark Hamill1952 - Christopher Reeve1968 - Will Smith1969 - Catherine Zeta-Jones1983 - Donald Glover Happy Birthday to … Continue reading On This Day: Performer Birthday Bonanza
Autumnal Equinox 2020
This post is being uploaded at the exact moment of the Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, Eastern coast of the United States: September 22, 2020 at 9:30 AM. At this moment the sun is directly over the equator. Day and night are the exact same length. Summer departs and fall begins. Life hangs perfectly … Continue reading Autumnal Equinox 2020
On This Day: Road Runner Rules
On September 17, 1949 Warner Brothers introduced a new cartoon named "Fast and Furry-ous" with new characters created by Chuck Jones. It included the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and the ever resourceful ACME Corporation. You've seen so many of them. But did you know that Mr. Jones had a nine rule formula that guided … Continue reading On This Day: Road Runner Rules
73rd Anniversary of the Computer Bug (sorta)
To be fair the term "debugging" a system predates the computer age, but on September 9, 1947 a famous incident occurred that is memorialized in the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Technicians detected an issue in the operation of one of the large calculating computers of the day. They traced the problem to a … Continue reading 73rd Anniversary of the Computer Bug (sorta)
On This Date: Henry Hudson gets to Manhattan
There is some debate as to the precise date that Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor in 1609, but that should be expected as he had been at sea a while and had not recently synchronized his iPhone. It is not appropriate to say he "discovered" Manhattan as there happened to be residents here … Continue reading On This Date: Henry Hudson gets to Manhattan
On This Date: Bad Times for Rome
In 79 C.E. the volcano Vesuvius blew its top and covered the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, capturing many of their citizens in flight and preserving details of Roman life indelibly for millennia. Excavations began in the 1800s and are continuing even now. Because contemporaneous accounts seldom dwell on everyday life we have leaned much … Continue reading On This Date: Bad Times for Rome
On This Date – Artillery Added to Orchestras
Pyotr Tchaikovsky was a talented and innovative composer who looked at the orchestra talent list and said, and I quote, "Hmm, we have strings and woodwinds and brass and percussion. I will add artillery." And so cannons found their way onto stage when he premiered his 1812 Overture on August 20, 1882. It has long … Continue reading On This Date – Artillery Added to Orchestras
National Roller Coaster Day
We celebrate this national day because on this date in 1898 Edwin Prescott filed a patent for his new roller coaster ride. It is fortuitous that it coincides with Northern Hemisphere Summer when amusement parks welcome roller coaster enthusiasts. The ride quickly became a sensation but was necessarily constructed mostly of wood in the early … Continue reading National Roller Coaster Day
On This Day – Rock and Roll milestones
Quite a special day in the history of rock and roll as in 1965 the Beatles played before 60,000 people in Shea Stadium in New York City, essentially launching stadium style concerts. And on August 15, 1969 was the first day of the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, New York. While music festivals had been … Continue reading On This Day – Rock and Roll milestones
Walter Thinnes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.